15 smartphones with 3,000mAh batteries or larger, made to last longer

Some smartphone releases this year have shown us that bigger batteries aren't always going to keep coming. Samsung opted for smaller power cells in its Galaxy S6 than the previous generation – in favour of faster charging. Apple's iPhone 6S Plus has 2,750mAh battery, making it smaller than last year's model.

But some people want to avoid charging as long as possible. Some of us want bigger batteries.

We've rounded up the big boys in the phone battery world to deliver the phones with truly huge batteries of 3,000mAh or more.

Of course bigger batteries don't always mean longer use, with screen size and processor performance to be taken into account. But generally a larger battery will help. Just look at the larger Sony Xperia Z5 Premium or Samsung Galaxy S6 edge Plus that can deliver over a day's heavy use easily.

So what smartphones can you buy now with a 3,000mAh battery or larger?

Samsung Galaxy S6 edge Plus: 3,000mAh

The Samsung Galaxy S6 edge Plus offers more screen than any Samsung before it thanks to that edge to edge curved display. But with a 5.7-inch Super AMOLED display power draining is always going to be an issue. That's why Samsung has opted for a hefty 3,000mAh battery in the handset.

This battery isn't the largest but coupled with Samsung's octa-core Exynos processor power consumption is kept to a minimum. This battery is also able to fast charge and even charges quickly wirelessly. In our review a 16-hour day of use still had 15 per cent in the battery at bed time.

OnePlus 2: 3,300mAh

OnePlus has taken the world by offering hyper specs at an affordable price. It's also dishing out plenty of battery life in its OnePlus 2 which crams in a 3,300mAh unit.

A 5.5-inch 1080p display chews battery despite the Snapdragon 810 processor efficiency. Yet we still found this handheld powerhouse took just two hours to charge to full. Then it kept going after 24-hours of use with still a good 10 per cent battery remaining.

Sony Xperia Z5 Premium: 3,430mAh

Sony's latest entrant to the Xperia family carriers a screen like no other smartphone, at a whopping 4K. That's a 5.5-inch LCD IPS running a 3840 x 2160 resolution - a lot of pixels to power. Hence Sony putting in a hefty 3,430mAh battery in this model.

The handset offers Quick Charge 2.0 and Sony's smart battery saving extras. Sony has added memory to the display, meaning that the CPU can be cut as soon as the display is showing what's needed. The result should be two days of use in Stamina Mode.

LG G4: 3,000mAh

LG really pushed the camera tech in its G4 to the limit. But it wasn't solely focused on that as it also squeezed in a hefty 3,000mAh battery to offer the best battery life. But despite a Snapdragon 808 processor the phone still only manages a day on a charge, if that. Not a great battery life leap forward from the G3 then.

Google Nexus 6: 3,220mAh

Google's largest Nexus smartphone was always going to come with a large battery. Complaints about the Nexus 5 battery life were rife so what better way to keep that energy juicing 6-inch screen on the Nexus 6 alive than by putting in a 3,220mAh battery?

This isn't the largest battery out there but it's plenty big and can be charged faster than most thanks to its Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0 compatibility. And, also unlike most, it comes with a fast charger in the box meaning 6-hours use from a 15-minute charge. On a full charge, Google says, it will go all day even with lots of use.

Huawei Ascend Mate 7: 4,100mAh

The battery on the Huawei Ascend Mate really is something impressive standing at a whopping 4,100mAh – bigger than most others out there.

The screen is 6-inches meaning plenty of drain but the processor is an octa-core Kirin 925 at 1.8GHz, which is efficient. Add in various battery saving app tweaks and the result is a battery that gives a good two days of use.

Microsoft Lumia 640 XL: 3,000mAh

One of the newest smartphones from Microsoft, unveiled at MWC, is the Lumia 640 XL.

This 5.7-inch Windows Phone packs in a 3,000mAh battery and is coupled with a 1.2GHz quad-core processor. Windows Phone handsets have, historically, had decent battery life so one with a battery this size should last a good day at least. Microsoft claims it'll manage 39 days of standby time.

Samsung Galaxy Note 4: 3,220mAh

Samsung's Note series is now synonymous with large batteries to keep those big screens going. But thanks to Super AMOLED screen efficiency, coupled with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 processor, drain is kept to a minimum.

So that 3,220mAh battery should provide plenty of use on a charge for a full day even with heavy use. The Note 4 charges 30 per cent fast than the last model and, Samsung says, should offer 50 per cent battery after a 30-minute charge.

LG G3: 3,000mAh

The LG G3 has a large display at 5.5-inches, despite its form remaining relatively compact thanks to the lack of bezel. But it also manages to cram in a 3,000mAh battery to keep that Quad HD display up and running.

The G3 comes with a 1.8A charger meaning it will charge faster than most, even with that large battery. And it should deliver a solid day even with quite a bit of use.